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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Which makes it difficult to?
Dear teachers, hello.
I am trying to understand what the 'it' below is about. It can be found in many academic texts.
". . . which makes it difficult to . . ."
I was searching within a grammar book. It is not a dummy it, right? Is it "clefting"? "Extraposed to-clauses"?
I write things like "It is difficult to think about life," but did not know about this kind of construction.
Thank you!!!
I am trying to understand what the 'it' below is about. It can be found in many academic texts.
". . . which makes it difficult to . . ."
I was searching within a grammar book. It is not a dummy it, right? Is it "clefting"? "Extraposed to-clauses"?
I write things like "It is difficult to think about life," but did not know about this kind of construction.
Thank you!!!
Top answer
Anonymous It is not a dummy it, right? It is a dummy pronoun, filling the direct object position for the extraposed ‘ to -clause’. This is because such clauses don’t (at least not normally) function as object.
- Anonymous It is not a dummy it, right?
- It is a dummy pronoun, filling the direct object position for the extraposed ‘ to -clause’.
- This is because such clauses don’t (at least not normally) function as object.
- Thus we couldn’t say * which makes to walk difficult.
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5 Answers
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AnonymousIt is not a dummy it, right?It is a dummy pronoun, filling the direct object position for the extraposed ‘to-clause’. This is because such clauses don’t (at least not normally) function as object. Thus we couldn’t say *which makes to walk difficult.
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Thank you. But I still do not understand.
So it is obligatory, right? I cannot say "I am always feeling tired, which makes difficult to get a good job," but need to say "I am always feeling tired, which makes it difficult to get a good job", right?
But why? Which clauses do not work as object?
And we can say the same about other adjectives like "easy", "important", and s
So it is obligatory, right? I cannot say "I am always feeling tired, which makes difficult to get a good job," but need to say "I am always feeling tired, which makes it difficult to get a good job", right?
But why? Which clauses do not work as object?
And we can say the same about other adjectives like "easy", "important", and s
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AnonymousSo it is obligatory, right? I cannot say "I am always feeling tired, which makes difficult to get a good job," but need to say "I am always feeling tired, which makes it difficult to get a good job", right?Yes; dummy it is an integral part of extraposition. You can’t just move the clause to the end of the sentence and leave the object position
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Hello. Thank you again. For now, I understand the rule but am not sure yet about the logic behind it. I have looked for cases like those in my grammar books (I have three), but all I have found is simpler instances.
Do you know some extra material covering this subject?
Thank you again.
Do you know some extra material covering this subject?
Thank you again.
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Anonymous not sure yet about the logic behind it.That’s because there is none. It’s just the way it is.
AnonymousDo you know some extra material covering this subject?Yes: The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. If you register I’ll PM you the relevant pages (or you may be able to find them online yourself).
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